Szabo Ruhai (Szabo's (Tailor) Clothes) If the smaller the better, mobile phones and laptop computers have nothing on the harmonica, that four-inch piece of wood and steel - and lately, plastic - that must qualify as the world's tiniest portable orchestra. This versatile instrument celebrated its first official 175 years in 1996, commemorating the fateful afternoon in 1821 when 16-year-old Christian Friedrich Buschmann registered the European patents for his tuneful invention. American genius Benjamin Franklin also had a hand in this development, but it is German clock maker Matthias Hohner who can claim the title of "Henry Ford of the Harmonica". With the help of his mass-production techniques, Hohner's factory was producing over one million harmonicas a year by the late 1880's and he was the who tuned America onto the instrument during the Civil War. But this is a Hungarian harmonica album, right? Right. But that's just one way to approach what Szabo Ruhai (Szabo's (Tailor) Clothes) accomplishes. After all, the first Hungarian recordings of the harmonica date back to 1941, there are albums of csardas-performing harmonica players, and the 1960s saw a myriad of harmonica orchestras and soloists tour the country. Later replaced in the public favor by beat bands, harmonica performers were relegated to a novelty role as musical clowns in circus acts. Hungary's newer generation of harmonica players given an international stamp of approval at the 1993 Harmonica World Championships, a competition held in the German city of Trossingen which saw Tamas Szabo tie for fifth place in the prestigious event. So even if you already know Szabo from his role in the Palermo Boogie Gang or his numerous guest appearances with some of Hungary's best-known solo acts, Szabo Ruhai is sure to increase your apprecitation of what the harmonica (and Tamas) can accomplish in the appropriate setting. And there's no doubt that Szabo Ruhai's design are outstanding. The variety of styles and arrangements can easily catch someone off guard, but there's an inner logic to the tunes that becomes apparent after careful listening. From the decidedly solo instrumental performances ( "Alone", "Budapest Train") to the songs where our kid Tamas lets his ppers take the vocal and instrumental spotlight ("All Because Of You", "RAP Attack"), the album showcases the wide-ranging (but seldom-explored) possibilities open to harmonica players. "There's more than blues and country in the harmonica", says Tamas and then proceeds to prove it on stage and in the studio. "Even so", Tamas allows, "the blues are present in all of these tunes". And you only need to go as far as the first couple of bars in any of the songs on this record to realize that the man speaks the truth. Another of Szabo's concerns in establishing the harmonica's raison D1etre, a preoccupation that might seem somewhat outdated when you consider the stature of harmonica players like Larry Adler, Sonny Terry and Toots Thielemans, but more than justified when you remember Hungary's harmonica-playing circus clowns and the fact that toy harmonicas are second only to cheap whistles and rattles when it comes to filling the world's pinatas. Szabo's closest partnerships on the album are with pianists Imre Czomba ("A rare commodity on Hungary", explains Tamas, "an arranger") and Szabolcs "I should have been born 100 years ago" Nagy, while Palermo Boogie Gang/Muddy Shoes stalwart Jeno Fekete, drummer Lajos Gyenge, guitarist Zoltan Sipeki and bass player Csaba Bese all sound pleased with their chance to try on some of this "tailor's" exquisitely crafted clothes. Haute couture, harmonica-style.

Pablo Gorondi